Dream Star

It was still raining heavily, so Yumeko made sure to

Kouta sighed, "It"s not like we can do much even if we stay. Besides, you saw Lila, didn"t you? We can"t help her when she is like that."

Yumeko thought back to how she found her friend around an hour ago. Harukkun wouldn"t leave her just like that. But, it seems like he wasn"t where Lilchan expected. She briefly looked back at the apartment complex they just left. "That person, will she be a problem?"

She shook her head; she ought to believe in Harukkun more. It"s not like she ever doubted him in the first place. Even though he insulted and degraded her after that incident. Yumeko always understood. Haruka was hurt gravely; he blamed himself for everything that happened. She simply went along with his act, but at night she would cry.

She would cry for him.

… for Atsuya.

"Hey, big brother," Yumeko called out. "Why did you suddenly come to Star Town?"

"There is something I"m worried about. I know she has many friends here. But a lot happened when she was in Light Town that those people don"t know about."

Yumeko nodded, "I only saw it briefly. But, Lilchan got into fights a lot."

Kouta sighed, "Yeah, it was quite bad. I wonder if Karas.h.i.+ma even knew about it. She didn"t want anyone to know - but then again, she shouldn"t have made it obvious."

"Well, big brother, I"ve always felt that you watched over her too much. Did you like her?"

"I still do."

At that comment, her eyes widened. Her brother"s response genuinely surprised her. She indeed suspected it, but who would have thought? If it were in the past, Yumeko would have criticized him. But it"s different now. Her thoughts broke off when she hears her phone vibrating in her pocket. Yumeko pulled it out only to find a surprising message.

From: Haruka

So, I spoke about this with Lila. But I"ve made some free time in her schedule. That performance you want with her, tell me when you can start practicing.

Yumeko blinked when she saw that message. "Well, that was random." Just as she was about to type out a reply

From: Haruka

Thank you.

A deep sigh escaped her lips. This person hasn"t changed at all. Is he thanking her for taking care of Lilchan, right? It seems like saying thank you is still difficult for him. But unlike before, Yumeko senses something different. Haruka has changed, but the rumors about him haven"t disappeared.

"Somebody is deliberately spreading things." Yumeko could guess who it was too. There is one woman who hasn"t let Haruka go yet.

"Big brother, sorry, but there is something I have to do."

"You want to go to the nightclub and spy on Sophia, right?"

"Eh."

"Geez," a frustrated look appeared on her brother"s face. "I understand what your thinking. But you can"t go to such a place alone. Sorry to say this, but you look like a child. You won"t be able to last by yourself."

…..

Dragon Club

Yumeko didn"t think he would come with her. But even more than that, "It"s your fault that we had to wear these ridiculous disguises!"

"Hah? At least it was better than yours… Besides," Kouta trailed off and glanced over the midnight blue-haired man who dragged them to the hallway, " how could you tell it was us?"

Mikami sighed, "You two stand out like a sore thumb. Didn"t I say I would be enough for collecting information? Why are you two here?"

Yumeko glanced down at her feet, "I was worried. I mean, I know you don"t like these places anymore either. Kasumi-san keeps misunderstanding since your doing this too."

"Kasumi will always misunderstand. It won"t make a difference even if I font come here. She hasn"t trusted me since that incident since we were younger. You should go back Yumeko; the things you see here won"t be pleasant."

Kouta nodded, "That"s what I told her. But she went ahead here anyway."

"So brother can stay but not her?" Then again, she understood the reason why. Brother may look innocent. However, since he is the heir to their father"s business, he most-likely saw the corruption of the world already. Her family has always kept her sheltered and protected from such things. While she doesn"t have a good relations.h.i.+p with her father, he"s always kept her away from his business matters.

Unlike other fathers, who would take advantage of having more than one child. Then again, the main reason why her father kept her away was her brother. He must have done something. Yumeko vaguely recalled it. A memory of her father and brother arguing about something. They spoke for a very long time. "It was when she was in middle school."

"I want to help Lilchan, so it doesn"t matter what I see," Yumeko declared. "I know both of you. No, everybody else is doing their best to s.h.i.+eld me from everything. But I don"t want to remain ignorant anymore. I already know. Lilchan was always involved in something dangerous. I"m her fan, did you think I didn"t notice? While her own abilities helped her, her debut was indeed suspicious. But that didn"t matter to me. The emotions behind her songs helped me realized my dream. I had so many dreams originally; however, after standing by her side for so long, it all became a huge dream."

"Your so stubborn Yumeko," Mikami sighed. "But then again, you and Lilchan are the same, aren"t you?"

The same as Lilchan?

"Kouta, tell her."

Yumeko turned to her brother.

Kouta sighed, "Lila said it not too long ago. "I don"t think I can do this alone anymore. The reason why I went to Light town was because of Haruka and Yumeko-chan. I"ve helped Haruka out, and it went well. The other reason, I want to fulfill the grand dream and future Yumeko-chan, and I envisioned."

Lilchan said that? The past few months since they fought. Yumeko couldn"t speak to her properly. She avoided Lilchan for so long. But it seems like Lilchan wasn"t angry at all. She was just disappointed. It"s normal, Lilchan expected so much. No, it has nothing to do with expectations. She just wanted to stand on stage with her again as rivals, and as equals.

The position from the top spot is very lonely. It"s normal for Lilchan to seek someone. So many other people who could fill that spot. But Lilchan picked her, someone with less skill. She only had her dreams; she isn"t a skilled singer or dance. She can"t do anything and yet...

"If you really want to help Lila, Yumeko. Then deal with that," Mikami pointed to the door at the end of the hallway.

Deal with? Yumeko hears the sound of fighting and screams. Blood churning screams. She felt her face color turn pale. "Over there..?"

"The person Lilchan cares about the most is fighting for her sake."

At that comment, her eyes widened, and she immediately rushed off in that direction. Yumeko was an average runner, but today she used up all her strength just to run faster.